Vehicle-body front structure

ABSTRACT

A vehicle-body front structure includes a partition wall portion which demarcates a space inside a vehicle cabin and a pair of left and right suspension tower portions which are formed to bulge inward in the vehicle width direction and support upper portions of front suspension apparatuses. A lower-side portion of the partition wall portion is formed to be positioned further to vehicle rear toward a lower position. A traveling motor is installed below the lower-side portion of the partition wall portion. An upper-side portion of the partition wall portion extends from an intermediate portion of the left suspension tower portion in a vehicle front-rear direction to an intermediate portion of the right suspension tower portion in the vehicle front-rear direction.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Japanese Patent ApplicationNo. 2022-026779 filed on Feb. 24, 2022, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Field

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle-body front structure for anelectric vehicle, for example.

Description of Related Art

For example, as disclosed in Patent Literature 1, an engine room ismarked off from a vehicle cabin by a partition wall portion whichextends in a vehicle width direction and an up-down direction. In theengine room in front of the partition wall portion, a pair of left andright suspension tower portions, on which upper portions of frontsuspension apparatuses are mounted, are formed to bulge to an inside ofthe vehicle cabin, and a pair of left and right front side frames areprovided which extend in a vehicle front-rear direction.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

-   [Patent Literature 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-119458

SUMMARY Problems to be Solved

Incidentally, because in a vehicle including an engine in related art,an engine and accessory components configuring an intake-and-exhaustsystem, and so forth are provided in an engine room, in a case where animpact load is exerted from front in a collision, the vehicle absorbsthe impact load by deforming components in the engine room, front sideframes, and so forth.

However, because in a case of an electric vehicle, accessory componentsare largely decreased compared to an engine, there is a concern that animpact load cannot sufficiently be absorbed.

Meanwhile, it is desirable to improve vehicle-body rigidity in terms ofoperation stability and riding comfort in vehicle traveling; however,when reinforcement members are simply added in order to improve thevehicle-body rigidity, this leads to an increase in a vehicle-bodyweight and is not preferable in view of energy conservation, and soforth, for example.

The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such problems,and one of the objects thereof is to achieve both of securing of a crashstroke in an area in front of a traveling motor and an improvement invehicle-body rigidity.

Solutions to the Problems

A first aspect of the present disclosure can be based on a vehicle-bodyfront structure for an electric vehicle in which a traveling motor isinstalled in a vehicle front portion. The vehicle-body front structureincludes: a partition wall portion which is provided to extend in avehicle width direction in the vehicle front portion and demarcates avehicle cabin inside space; and a pair of left and right suspensiontower portions which are formed to bulge inward in the vehicle widthdirection and support upper portions of front suspension apparatuses. Alower-side portion of the partition wall portion is formed to bepositioned further to vehicle rear toward a lower position, thetraveling motor is installed below the lower-side portion of thepartition wall portion, and an upper-side portion of the partition wallportion extends from an intermediate portion of the left suspensiontower portion in a vehicle front-rear direction to an intermediateportion of the right suspension tower portion in the vehicle front-reardirection.

In this configuration, because the traveling motor is installed belowthe lower-side portion of the partition wall portion which is formed tobe positioned further to the vehicle rear toward a lower position, itbecomes possible to cause the traveling motor to be close to a vehiclerear side. Accordingly, a crash stroke in a collision is sufficientlysecured in a front-rear direction.

Further, because the intermediate portions, in the front-rear direction,of the suspension tower portions which bulge inward in the vehicle widthdirection are connected with each other by the upper-side portion of thepartition wall portion, a length, in the vehicle width direction, of theupper-side portion of the partition wall portion becomes short, thepartition wall portion thereby becomes light, and the left and rightsuspension tower portions can be connected together by a short path.Accordingly, rigidity of the vehicle-body front portion is improved.

The partition wall portion according to a second aspect of the presentdisclosure may include a first partition wall portion and a secondpartition wall portion which extends from a lower portion of the firstpartition wall portion toward a lower position to be positioned furtherto the vehicle rear. The traveling motor can be installed below alower-side portion of the second partition wall portion, and the firstpartition wall portion can be formed to extend from an intermediateportion of the left suspension tower portion in the vehicle front-reardirection to an intermediate portion of the right suspension towerportion in the vehicle front-rear direction. In this configuration, thefirst partition wall portion and the second partition wall portion maybe configured with separate members or may be configured with onemember.

In a third aspect of the present disclosure, the vehicle-body frontstructure may include a motor arrangement portion which is formed bycausing a part of the second partition wall portion to bulge to aninside of a vehicle cabin and in which at least a part of the travelingmotor is capable of being arranged.

In this configuration, because the motor arrangement portion formed inthe second partition wall portion bulges to the inside of the vehiclecabin, it becomes possible to cause the traveling motor to be close tothe vehicle rear side. Accordingly, a crash stroke in a collision can bebetter secured.

In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the first partition wallportion may be provided with a partition wall reinforcement member whichextends in the vehicle width direction. In this configuration, rigidityof the first partition wall portion can further be enhanced by thepartition wall reinforcement member.

In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, front wheel wells whichbulge to vehicle-width-direction inner sides may be continuous withvehicle rear sides of the left and right suspension tower portions. Bothsides of the second partition wall portion in the vehicle widthdirection can be connected with the left and right front wheel wells.

In this configuration, because the front wheel wells which bulge inwardin the vehicle width direction are connected with each other by thesecond partition wall portion, a length of the second partition wallportion in the vehicle width direction becomes short, the secondpartition wall portion thereby becomes light, and the left and rightfront wheel wells can be connected together by a short path.Accordingly, rigidity of the vehicle-body front portion is furtherimproved.

In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, the vehicle-body frontstructure may include a pair of left and right side sills which extendin the vehicle front-rear direction in both end portions of a floorpanel in the vehicle width direction. In this case, because the secondpartition wall portion can extend to the vehicle rear to reach the leftand right side sills and can be connected with the left and right sidesills, rigidity of the vehicle-body front portion is further improved.

Advantages

As described above, a lower-side portion of a partition wall portion isformed to be positioned further to vehicle rear toward a lower position,a traveling motor is installed below the lower-side portion of thepartition wall portion, and intermediate portions of left and rightsuspension tower portions in a front-rear direction are connected witheach other in a portion of the partition wall portion on an upper sideof the traveling motor. Accordingly, both of securing of a crash strokein an area in front of the traveling motor and an improvement invehicle-body rigidity can be achieved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment,in which a part of the electric vehicle is omitted.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a state where the electric vehicle isdivided into a lower structure and an upper structure.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the lower structure.

FIG. 4 is a plan view which illustrates a front-side portion of thelower structure while enlarging that.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view which illustrates the front-side portion of thelower structure while enlarging that and from which a power train, shockabsorbers, springs, and hubs, and so forth are omitted.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view illustrating a vehicle-bodyfront portion.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the vehicle-body frontportion.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a front-side power trainand its vicinity of the vehicle-body front portion while enlargingthose.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the vehicle-body frontportion which is sectioned in a horizontal direction at an intermediateportion in an up-down direction.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X in FIG. 9 .

FIG. 11 is a diagram which corresponds to FIG. 9 and which illustrates astate where a reinforcement member is detached.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure example wherethe reinforcement member is mounted on a lid body of a battery unit.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating an inside of a vehicle cabinin a state where the reinforcement member is detached.

FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the vehicle-body front portion from whichthe power train, a battery unit, suspension apparatuses, and so forthare omitted.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view which illustrates the upper structurefrom which batteries and so forth are omitted and which corresponds toline XV-XV in FIG. 9 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure will hereinafter be described in detail based ondrawings. Note that the description of an embodiment in the following issubstantially only about examples and is not at all intended to restrictthe present disclosure, applications thereof, or uses thereof.

FIG. 1 is a left side view of an electric vehicle (electric automobile)1 including a vehicle-body front structure A according to the embodimentof the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the electricvehicle 1 includes a lower structure 2 and an upper structure 3. In FIG.1 , a front bumper, a rear bumper, front and rear wheels, and so forthare omitted and are illustrated by imaginary lines, and each portion isschematically illustrated. In FIG. 2 , in addition to the componentsomitted in FIG. 1 , doors, a bonnet hood, a front fender, window glass,front and rear lighting devices, interior materials, and so forth areomitted, and each portion is schematically illustrated.

Note that in the description of the embodiment, a vehicle front sidewill simply be referred to as “front”, a vehicle rear side will simplybe referred to as “rear”, a vehicle right side will simply be referredto as “right”, and a vehicle left side will simply be referred to as“left”. A right-left direction of the vehicle is a vehicle widthdirection.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the electric vehicle 1 is a passengerautomobile. The electric vehicle 1 may be any of a sedan type, ahatch-back type, a minivan type, and so forth, and its shape is notparticularly limited. As illustrated in FIG. 2 , in the electric vehicle1, a vehicle cabin R1 is formed which serves as a staying space (vehiclecabin inside space) for an occupant. As illustrated in FIG. 1 , a frontseat (seat) S1 is provided on a front side in the vehicle cabin R1, anda rear seat S2 is provided in rear of the front seat S1 in the vehiclecabin R1. In the rear of the rear seat S2, a trunk R2 is provided inaccordance with necessity. The vehicle cabin R1 and the trunk R2 areprovided to the upper structure 3. Note that in the vehicle cabin R1,only the front seat S1 may be provided, or a third row seat may beprovided in the rear of the rear seat S2.

Meanwhile, a space (front-side space) in front of the vehicle cabin R1as a front portion of the electric vehicle 1 can be set as a powerchamber R3, for example. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 3 , thevehicle-body front structure A is provided to the electric vehicle 1which includes a front-side traveling motor M1 installed in a vehiclefront portion, a rear-side traveling motor M2 installed in a vehiclerear portion, batteries B supplying electric power to the travelingmotors M1 and M2, and a battery casing 10 housing the batteries B. Thebattery casing 10 is disposed below a floor panel 70 described later.FIG. 4 is a plan view of a front-side power train PT1 and its vicinity,and FIG. 5 is a bottom view in a case where the front-side power trainPT1 is omitted.

The front-side traveling motor M1 produces a driving force for drivingleft and right front wheels FT, and the front-side power train PT1 isconfigured with only the front-side traveling motor M1 or with thefront-side traveling motor M1, a speed reducer, a transmission, and soforth. Further, the rear-side traveling motor M2 illustrated in FIG. 2and FIG. 3 produces a driving force for driving left and right rearwheels RT (illustrated in FIG. 1 ), and a rear-side power train PT2 isconfigured with only the rear-side traveling motor M2 or with therear-side traveling motor M2, a speed reducer, a transmission, and soforth.

In the present embodiment, the rear-side traveling motor M2 isconfigured to produce a highest output (maximum torque) which is highcompared to the front-side traveling motor M1, and the rear-sidetraveling motor M2 has a larger size than the front-side traveling motorM1. Accompanying that, the rear-side power train PT2 becomes larger thanthe front-side power train PT1. Note that the rear-side traveling motorM2 may produce a highest output which is low compared to the front-sidetraveling motor M1, or the rear-side traveling motor M2 and thefront-side traveling motor M1 may produce equivalent highest outputs.Further, only the front-side power train PT1 may be provided, or onlythe rear-side power train PT2 may be provided. Further, for example, ina case of a large-sized vehicle, the front-side traveling motor M1 andthe rear-side traveling motor M2 are installed which are large comparedto a small-sized vehicle.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the lower structure 2 includes the batterycasing 10, a pair of left and right front side frames 11 and 12 whichextend forward in front of the battery casing 10, and a pair of left andright rear frame 13 and 14 which extend rearward in the rear of thebattery casing 10. A reference numeral 11 denotes the left front sideframe, and a reference numeral 12 denotes the right front side frame. Areference numeral 13 denotes the left rear frame, and a referencenumeral 14 denotes the right rear frame. In FIG. 2 , a lid body 35(described later) of the battery casing 10 is detached.

In a case of a common electric automobile, a battery casing is oftenformed as a separate body from a vehicle body and is often detachablefrom a portion below a floor; however, in the present embodiment, notonly the battery casing 10 but also the left and right front side frames11 and 12 and the left and right rear frames 13 and 14 are integratedwith the battery casing 10, and the front side frames 11 and 12 and therear frames 13 and 14 together with the battery casing 10 are detachablefrom the upper structure 3.

Specifically, the electric vehicle 1 of the present embodiment isconfigured to be capable of being divided, in an up-down direction, intothe lower structure 2 having the battery casing 10 and the upperstructure 3 forming the vehicle cabin R1 and the trunk R2. Being capableof being divided in the up-down direction means that without usingwelding, adhesion, or the like, the lower structure 2 is integrated withthe upper structure 3 by using fastening members such as bolts, nuts,and screws. Accordingly, because the lower structure 2 can be separatedfrom the upper structure 3 in accordance with necessity when maintenanceor repairs are performed after the electric vehicle 1 is passed into thehands of a user, high maintainability is achieved. Note that fasteningmembers used in the following description include bolts, nuts, screws,and so forth.

Here, as a vehicle-body structure of an automobile, a vehicle-bodystructure of a ladder frame type has been known. In a case of thevehicle-body structure of the ladder frame type, the vehicle-bodystructure is being capable of being divided, in the up-down direction,into a ladder frame and a cabin, but the ladder frame continuouslyextends in a front-rear direction and thus mainly receives a collisionload in a front collision and a rear collision. In a side collision, theladder frame only subsidiarily receives a collision load, and thecollision load is mainly received by the cabin. As described above, inthe vehicle-body structure of the ladder frame type, usually, differentmembers receive collision loads between the front collision and rearcollision and the side collision.

On the other hand, in a case of the electric vehicle 1 of the presentembodiment, the lower structure 2 having the front side frames 11 and 12and the rear frame 13 and 14 and the upper structure 3 are capable ofbeing divided; however, a technical idea of the present embodiment islargely different from the vehicle-body structure of the ladder frametype in related art in the point that in both cases of the frontcollision and rear collision and the side collision, a collision load isreceived by the lower structure 2 and the upper structure 3, and thecollision load is capable of being dispersedly absorbed by both of thestructures 2 and 3. In the following, structures of the lower structure2 and the upper structure 3 will be described in detail.

(Lower Structure)

First, the lower structure 2 will be described. The lower structure 2includes the front and rear power trains PT1 and PT2, the front wheelsFT, the rear wheels RT, front suspension apparatuses 20, rear suspensionapparatuses 21, and so forth in addition to the battery casing 10, thefront side frames 11 and 12, and the rear frames 13 and 14. Forms of thefront suspension apparatus 20 and the rear suspension apparatus 21 arenot particularly specified.

A battery unit BY is configured with the battery casing 10 and thebatteries B housed in an internal portion of the battery casing 10, butin addition to those, for example, a battery cooling device and so forthmay be included in the battery unit BY.

The battery casing 10 is a large casing which is formed, below the floorpanel 70 of the upper structure 3, to be spanned from a left end portionvicinity to a right end portion vicinity of the floor panel 70 and to bespanned from a front end portion vicinity to a rear end portion vicinityof the floor panel 70. As described above, the battery casing 10 isdisposed in a wide range of a lower region of the floor panel 70, and itthereby becomes possible to install the battery B with a large capacityin the electric vehicle 1. The battery B may be a lithium-ion battery, asolid-state battery, or the like or may be another secondary cell.Further, the battery B may be a so-called battery cell or may be abattery pack housing plural battery cells. In the present embodiment,the battery B is configured with a battery pack, and plural batterypacks are installed in a state where those are aligned in the front-reardirection and the left-right direction.

The battery casing 10 includes a left-side battery frame 30, aright-side battery frame 31, a front-side battery frame 32, a rear-sidebattery frame 33, a bottom plate 34, and the lid body 35 (illustrated inFIG. 4 ) which covers the batteries B from above. Note that FIG. 3illustrates a state where the lid body 35 is detached.

The left-side battery frame 30, the right-side battery frame 31, thefront-side battery frame 32, and the rear-side battery frame 33 areconfigured with an extruded material or the like of an aluminum alloy,for example, but may be configured with an aluminum alloy plate materialor a press-formed material of a steel plate as well. The bottom plate 34can be configured with an extruded material. In the followingdescription, “extruded material” denotes an extruded material of analuminum alloy, and “press-formed material” denotes an aluminum alloyplate material or a press-formed material of a steel plate. Further,each member may be configured with a casting, for example.

All of cross-sectional shapes of the left-side battery frame 30, theright-side battery frame 31, the front-side battery frame 32, and therear-side battery frame 33 in respective orthogonal directions to theirlongitudinal directions are rectangular shapes. Further, the left-sidebattery frame 30, the right-side battery frame 31, the front-sidebattery frame 32, and the rear-side battery frame 33 are all arranged atthe same height and extend in generally horizontal directions.

The left-side battery frame 30 and the right-side battery frame 31 areouter-side battery frames which extend in the front-rear direction onvehicle-width-direction outer sides of the batteries B. The left-sidebattery frame 30 is provided to a left-side portion of the batterycasing 10 and extends in the front-rear direction along a left side sill74. The left-side battery frame 30 is fixed to the left side sill 74 byfastening members or the like. The right-side battery frame 31 isprovided to a right-side portion of the battery casing 10 and extends inthe front-rear direction along a right side sill 75. The right-sidebattery frame 31 is fixed to the right side sill 75 by fastening membersor the like.

Further, the front-side battery frame 32 is provided to a front portionof the battery casing 10 and extends in the left-right direction. In afront view, at least a part of the front-side traveling motor M1configuring the front-side power train PT1 is positioned so as tooverlap with at least a part of the front-side battery frame 32, thatis, an intermediate portion of the front-side battery frame 32 in thevehicle width direction. Further, the rear-side battery frame 33 isprovided to a rear portion of the battery casing 10 and extends in theleft-right direction.

A left end portion of the front-side battery frame 32 is connected witha front end portion of the left-side battery frame 30, and a right endportion of the front-side battery frame 32 is connected with a front endportion of the right-side battery frame 31. A left end portion of therear-side battery frame 33 is connected with a rear end portion of theleft-side battery frame 30, and a right end portion of the rear-sidebattery frame 33 is connected with a rear end portion of the right-sidebattery frame 31. Consequently, the left-side battery frame 30, theright-side battery frame 31, the front-side battery frame 32, and therear-side battery frame 33 are members which configure a rack frameformed to surround all of the batteries B in a plan view.

The bottom plate 34 extends generally horizontally and is fixed to lowersurfaces of the left-side battery frame 30, the right-side battery frame31, the front-side battery frame 32, and the rear-side battery frame 33.Further, the lid body 35 is fixed to upper surfaces of the left-sidebattery frame 30, the right-side battery frame 31, the front-sidebattery frame 32, and the rear-side battery frame 33. In other words,the lid body 35 is mounted on the battery frames 30 to 33. When the lidbody 35 is mounted on the battery frames 30 to 33, for example,fastening members may be used, or adhesion, welding, or the like may beused. Consequently, a battery housing space S housing the batteries B(illustrated in FIG. 2 ) is marked off and formed with the left-sidebattery frame 30, the right-side battery frame 31, the front-sidebattery frame 32, the rear-side battery frame 33, the bottom plate 34,and the lid body 35.

The size of the battery housing space S can be changed in accordancewith the capacity of the installed batteries B. The size of the batteryhousing space S is capable of being easily changed by changing lengthsof the left-side battery frame 30, the right-side battery frame 31, thefront-side battery frame 32, and the rear-side battery frame 33 and ashape of the bottom plate 34. For example, in a case where the electricvehicle 1 is a small vehicle which has a short wheelbase and narrowtreads, the left-side battery frame 30, the right-side battery frame 31,the front-side battery frame 32, the rear-side battery frame 33 are madeshort, the shapes of the bottom plate 34 and the lid body 35 are madesmall in response to the shortening, and the battery housing space Sthereby becomes small in accordance with the small vehicle. On the otherhand, in a case of a large vehicle, the left-side battery frame 30, theright-side battery frame 31, the front-side battery frame 32, and therear-side battery frame 33 are made long, the shapes of the bottom plate34 and the lid body 35 are made large in response to the elongation, andthe battery housing space S thereby becomes large in accordance with thelarge vehicle. In a case where the left-side battery frame 30, theright-side battery frame 31, the front-side battery frame 32, and therear-side battery frame 33 are configured with the extruded material,the lengths can easily be changed. Further, the bottom plate 34 can beconfigured with the extruded material, and its shape can thereby easilybe changed.

An upper portion of the battery housing space S may be closed by theabove lid body 35 or may be closed by the floor panel 70 of the upperstructure 3. In the battery housing space S, other than the batteries B,a cooling device cooling the batteries B, a heating device heating thebatteries B, and so forth (temperature adjustment devices) can also beprovided. Further, electric power of the batteries B is supplied to thetraveling motors M1 and M2 via a control device. In addition, it ispossible to charge the batteries B via a charging socket, a contactlesscharger, or the like.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 , in the internal portion of the battery casing10 configuring the battery unit BY, as strength members extending in theleft-right direction, first to third inside-casing members (inside-unitmembers) 25A, 25B, and 25C are provided. All of heights of the first tothird inside-casing members 25A, 25B, and 25C are the same and aregenerally the same as the heights of the left-side battery frame 30 andso forth. The inside-casing members 25A, 25B, and 25C may be configuredwith the extruded material or may be configured with the press-formedmaterial. In the present embodiment, three inside-casing members 25A,25B, and 25C are provided, but the number of inside-casing members 25A,25B, and 25C may be increased or decreased in accordance with thedimension of the battery casing 10 in the front-rear direction. Thefirst to third inside-casing members 25A, 25B, and 25C are secondmembers.

The first to third inside-casing members 25A, 25B, and 25C are arrangedat distances from each other in the front-rear direction, the firstinside-casing member 25A is in a foremost position, and the thirdinside-casing member 25C is in a rearmost position. A lower portion ofeach of the inside-casing members 25A, 25B, and 25C is fixed to an uppersurface of the bottom plate 34. Further, a left end portion of each ofthe inside-casing members 25A, 25B, and 25C is fixed to an inner surface(right-side surface) of the left-side battery frame 30, and a right endportion of each of the inside-casing members 25A, 25B, and 25C is fixedto an inner surface (left-side surface) of the right-side battery frame31. In other words, the inside-casing members 25A, 25B, and 25C aremembers which connect the left-side battery frame 30 and the right-sidebattery frame 31 together.

In the internal portion of the battery casing 10, as strength membersextending in the front-rear direction, a front central member(inside-unit member) 26 and first to third rear central members(inside-unit members) 27 to 29 are provided. The front central member 26and the first to third rear central members 27 to 29 are arranged atgenerally the same heights and are provided at a center of the batterycasing 10 in the left-right direction. Lower end portions of the frontcentral member 26 and the first to third rear central members 27 to 29are mounted on the upper surface of the bottom plate 34. The frontcentral member 26 and the first to third rear central members 27 to 29are first members. The front central member 26 and first to third rearcentral members 27 to 29 and the first to third inside-casing members25A, 25B, and 25C intersect with each other.

The front central member 26 is arranged between the front-side batteryframe 32 and the first inside-casing member 25A, a front end portion ofthe front central member 26 is fixed to a central portion of thefront-side battery frame 32 in the left-right direction, and a rear endportion of the front central member 26 is fixed to a central portion ofthe first inside-casing member 25A in the left-right direction.Consequently, the front-side battery frame 32 is a member which extendsso as to connect the front end portions of the left-side battery frame30 and the right-side battery frame 31 with the front end portion of thefront central member 26.

The first rear central member 27 is arranged between the firstinside-casing member 25A and the second inside-casing member 25B, afront end portion of the first rear central member 27 is fixed to thecentral portion of the first inside-casing member 25A in the left-rightdirection, and a rear end portion of the first rear central member 27 isfixed to a central portion of the second inside-casing member 25B in theleft-right direction. Further, the second rear central member 28 isarranged between the second inside-casing member 25B and the thirdinside-casing member 25C, a front end portion of the second rear centralmember 28 is fixed to the central portion of the second inside-casingmember 25B in the left-right direction, and a rear end portion of thesecond rear central member 28 is fixed to a central portion of the thirdinside-casing member 25C in the left-right direction. Further, the thirdrear central member 29 is arranged between the third inside-casingmember 25C and the rear-side battery frame 33, a front end portion ofthe third rear central member 29 is fixed to the central portion of thethird inside-casing member 25C in the left-right direction, and a rearend portion of the third rear central member 29 is fixed to a centralportion of the rear-side battery frame 33 in the left-right direction.Consequently, because the first to third inside-casing members 25A, 25B,and 25C and the front central member 26 and first to third rear centralmembers 27 to 29 are disposed in a lattice manner in the internalportion of the battery casing 10 and are coupled with each other, areinforcement effect for the battery casing 10 is further enhanced.

When an imaginary straight line extending in the front-rear direction ispresumed in a plan view, the positions of the front central member 26and the first to third rear central members 27 to 29 in the left-rightdirection are set such that the positions are arranged on the imaginarystraight line. In other words, the first to third rear central members27 to 29 are provided to be positioned on a rearward imaginary extensionline of the front central member 26. Note that the front central member26 and the first to third rear central members 27 to 29 may beconfigured with one member which is continuous in the front-reardirection.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6 and so forth, the vehicle-body frontstructure A includes the pair of left and right front side frames 11 and12, a frame bracket 40, a first cross member 15, a pair of left andright impact absorption members 16 and 17, and a second cross member 19.In the present embodiment, in addition to the above members, thevehicle-body front structure A includes a front member 18, reinforcementmembers 19A and 19B, and so forth. Members configuring the vehicle-bodyfront structure A are not limited to the above-described members and mayinclude other members, apparatuses, devices, and so forth. Further,among the above-described members, members which do not serve asconfiguration elements required for the present disclosure may beomitted.

The front side frames 11 and 12 linearly and generally horizontallyextend below left and right front main frames 72 and 73 provided to theupper structure 3. The front side frames 11 and 12 can be configuredwith the extruded material, the press-formed material, or the like, forexample. In the present embodiment, because the front side frames 11 and12 are configured with the extruded material, their cross-sectionalshapes in a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction aregenerally equivalent from front end portions to rear end portions.

The left and right front side frames 11 and 12 are mounted on thefront-side battery frame 32 configuring the front portion of the batterycasing 10 via the frame bracket 40. In other words, rear portions of theleft and right front side frames 11 and 12 are coupled with thefront-side battery frame 32 by the frame bracket 40. The frame bracket40 is an integrally formed component of metal and extends in theleft-right direction along a front surface of the front-side batteryframe 32. The rear portions of the left and right front side frames 11and 12 are fixed to the frame bracket 40. Metal which configures theframe bracket 40 is not particularly limited. For example, aluminum andso forth can be raised, and in this case, the frame bracket 40 can beformed by aluminum die-casting.

The left and right front side frames 11 and 12 are mounted on thefront-side battery frame 32 via the frame bracket 40, but the rearportions of the front side frames 11 and 12 are caused to adjoin thefront surface of the front-side battery frame 32. Consequently, thefront side frames 11 and 12 extend forward from the front-side batteryframe 32. Note that the rear portion of the front side frames 11 and 12may slightly be spaced apart forward from the front surface of thefront-side battery frame 32. In this case also, viewing those as thewhole, it can be considered that the front side frames 11 and 12 extendforward from the front-side battery frame 32.

The rear portion of the left front side frame 11 is arranged tocorrespond to a section on a left side of a center of the front-sidebattery frame 32 in the left-right direction. Further, the rear portionof the right front side frame 12 is arranged to correspond to a sectionon a right side of the center of the front-side battery frame 32 in theleft-right direction. Accordingly, a distance between the left and rightfront side frames 11 and 12 becomes a predetermined distance. A distancebetween the rear portions of the front side frames 11 and 12 is setnarrower than a distance between the left-side battery frame 30 and theright-side battery frame 31 of the battery casing 10.

Heights of the left and right front side frames 11 and 12 are generallythe same. Further, the left and right front side frames 11 and 12, thefront central member 26 of the battery casing 10, the left-side batteryframe 30, and the right-side battery frame 31 are disposed at generallythe same heights.

The left and right front side frames 11 and 12 extend to be positionedon the vehicle-width-direction outer sides toward the front. That is,the left front side frame 11 is inclined with respect to the imaginarystraight line extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle in aplan view so as to be positioned on a left side toward the front.Further, the right front side frame 12 is inclined with respect to theimaginary straight line extending in the front-rear direction of thevehicle in a plan view so as to be positioned on a right side toward thefront. Accordingly, the distance between the left and right front sideframes 11 and 12 (a separation distance in the vehicle width direction)becomes wider toward the front, and in a portion between the left andright front side frames 11 and 12, a space C is formed in which all or apart of various components, apparatuses, devices, and so forth arecapable of being arranged. Then, the space C has a shape which isenlarged in the vehicle width direction toward the front.

An inclination angle of the left front side frame 11 with respect to theabove imaginary straight line is equivalent to an inclination angle of aright front side frame 12 with respect to the above imaginary straightline. A front portion of the left front side frame 11 is arranged on avehicle-width-direction inner side of the left-side battery frame 30 ofthe battery casing 10. Further, a front portion of the right front sideframe 12 is arranged on the vehicle-width-direction inner side of theright-side battery frame 31 of the battery casing 10.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 1 , positions, in the front-reardirection, of the front portions of the left and right front side frames11 and 12 and of front portions of the left and right front main frames72 and 73 of the upper structure 3 are set to generally the samepositions.

As illustrated in FIG. 5 , the frame bracket 40 includes a verticalplate portion 40 a which extends in the vehicle width direction and theup-down direction along the front surface of the front-side batteryframe 32 and a lower plate portion 40 b which extends rearward from alower edge portion of the vertical plate portion 40 a along the lowersurface of the front-side battery frame 32 and which extends also in thevehicle width direction. The vertical plate portion 40 a and the lowerplate portion 40 b are fixed to the front-side battery frame 32 byfastening members or the like. In such a manner, the vertical plateportion 40 a and the lower plate portion 40 b of the frame bracket 40are respectively fixed to the front surface and the lower surface of thefront-side battery frame 32, and mounting rigidity of the frame bracket40 on the front-side battery frame 32 can thereby be enhanced.

In the vertical plate portion 40 a of the frame bracket 40, a left-sideinsertion hole into which the rear portion of the left front side frame11 is inserted and a right-side insertion hole into which the rearportion of the right front side frame 12 is inserted are formed at adistance in the vehicle width direction. The rear portion of the leftfront side frame 11 is fixed to the frame bracket 40 by an adhesive, afastening member, or the like, for example, in a state where the rearportion is inserted into the left-side insertion hole.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 , the frame bracket 40 includes a left-sideupper plate portion 40 e which extends in the front-rear direction so asto cover an upper surface of the left front side frame 11 and aright-side upper plate portion 40 f which extends in the front-reardirection so as to cover an upper surface of the right front side frame12. The left-side upper plate portion 40 e and the upper surface of theleft front side frame 11 are caused to adhere to each other by anadhesive, for example, and the right-side upper plate portion 40 f andthe upper surface of the right front side frame 12 are similarly causedto adhere to each other. Accordingly, the left and right front sideframes 11 and 12 can firmly be fixed to the frame bracket 40.

The frame bracket 40 has a left-side support portion 41 and a right-sidesupport portion 42, and the left-side support portion 41 and theright-side support portion 42 are integrally shaped with the verticalplate portion 40 a and the lower plate portion 40 b. The left-sidesupport portion 41 is a portion which is arranged on thevehicle-width-direction outer side (left side) of the left front sideframe 11 and supports the above front side frame 11 from thevehicle-width-direction outer side. Specifically, the left-side supportportion 41 is protruded forward from a left-side portion of theleft-side insertion hole in the vertical plate portion 40 a and extendsalong a left side surface of the left front side frame 11. A frontportion of the left-side support portion 41 reaches the vicinity of acentral portion of the left front side frame 11 in the front-reardirection, and it thus becomes possible to support a wide range of theleft-side support portion 41 by the left-side support portion 41. It isalso possible to cause the left front side frame 11 to adhere to theleft-side support portion 41.

Further, the right-side support portion 42 is a portion which isarranged on the vehicle-width-direction outer side (right side) of theright front side frame 12 and supports the above front side frame 12from the vehicle-width-direction outer side. Specifically, theright-side support portion 42 is protruded forward from a right-sideportion of the right-side insertion hole in the vertical plate portion40 a and extends along a right side surface of the right front sideframe 12. A front portion of the right-side support portion 42 reachesthe vicinity of a central portion of the right front side frame 12 inthe front-rear direction, and it thus becomes possible to support a widerange of the right-side support portion 42 by the right-side supportportion 42. It is also possible to cause the right front side frame 12to adhere to the right-side support portion 42.

On the vehicle-width-direction outer side of the frame bracket 40, leftand right suspension arms 20A configuring the front suspensionapparatuses 20 are supported to be swingable in the up-down direction.That is, in a portion on a left side of the left-side support portion 41in the frame bracket 40, a left-side arm mounting portion 43 is providedto be protruded to a left side. On the left-side arm mounting portion43, a base end portion of the left suspension arm 20A is mounted to berotatable around a shaft extending in the front-rear direction. Further,in a portion on a right side of the right-side support portion 42 in theframe bracket 40, a right-side arm mounting portion 44 is provided to beprotruded to a right side. On the right-side arm mounting portion 44, abase end portion of the right suspension arm 20A is mounted to berotatable around a shaft extending in the front-rear direction.

The first cross member 15 is a member, which is suspended between aportion of the left front side frame 11 which is spaced apart forwardfrom the front-side battery frame 32 and a portion of the right frontside frame 12 which is spaced apart forward from the front-side batteryframe 32, and linearly extends in the vehicle width direction. The firstcross member 15 can also be configured with the extruded material, thepress-formed member, or the like. In the present embodiment, a left-sideportion of the first cross member 15 is fixed to the front portion ofthe left front side frame 11, and a right-side portion of the firstcross member 15 is fixed to the front portion of the right front sideframe 12. Consequently, the front portions of the left and right frontside frames 11 and 12 are coupled with each other by the first crossmember 15.

Further, the first cross member 15 is generally parallel with thefront-side battery frame 32. Accordingly, in a plan view, a rectangularshape (a trapezoidal shape in the present example) is formed with thefirst cross member 15, the left and right front side frames 11 and 12,and the front-side battery frame 32, and a closed cross-section isconfigured when a horizontal cross section is seen.

A left side of the first cross member 15 is protruded to thevehicle-width-direction outer side of the front portion of the leftfront side frame 11. Further, a right side of the first cross member 15is protruded to the vehicle-width-direction outer side of the frontportion of the right front side frame 12.

The second cross member 19 is a member, which is arranged between thefirst cross member 15 and the front-side battery frame 32 and issuspended between the left front side frame 11 and the right front sideframe 12, and linearly extends in the vehicle width direction. Thesecond cross member 19 can also be configured with the extrudedmaterial, the press-formed member, or the like. A dimension of thesecond cross member 19 in the vehicle width direction is shorter than adimension of the first cross member 15 in the vehicle width direction.

As also illustrated in FIG. 5 , a left end portion of the second crossmember 19 is fixed to a right side surface of the left front side frame11 by adhesion, welding, a fastening member, or the like. A right endportion of the second cross member 19 is similarly fixed to a left sidesurface of the right front side frame 12. Accordingly, intermediateportions of the left and right front side frames 11 and 12 in thefront-rear direction are coupled with each other.

Further, the second cross member 19 is generally parallel with thefront-side battery frame 32. Accordingly, in a plan view, a rectangularshape (a trapezoidal shape in the present example) is formed with thesecond cross member 19, the left and right front side frames 11 and 12,and the front-side battery frame 32, and a closed cross-section isconfigured when a horizontal cross section is seen. Further, in a planview, a rectangular shape is also formed with the second cross member19, the left and right front side frames 11 and 12, and the first crossmember 15.

As illustrated in FIG. 5 , the left reinforcement member 19A extendsrearward from a portion on a left side of a central portion of thesecond cross member 19 in the vehicle width direction to the front-sidebattery frame 32. A rear portion of the left reinforcement member 19A isfixed to the right side surface of the left front side frame 11.Further, the right reinforcement member 19B extends rearward from aportion on a right side of the central portion of the second crossmember 19 in the vehicle width direction to the front-side battery frame32. A rear portion of the right reinforcement member 19B is fixed to theleft side surface of the right front side frame 12.

The left impact absorption member 16 is provided in front of the leftfront side frame 11 and is configured with a tubular member whichextends forward. Further, the right impact absorption member 17 isprovided in front of the right front side frame 12 and is configuredwith a tubular member which extends forward. Similarly to crush cans 72a and 73 a of the upper structure 3, the impact absorption members 16and 17 perform compressive deformation due to an impact load from thefront in a phase previous to deformation of the front side frames 11 and12 and thereby absorb the impact load. As illustrated in FIG. 1 ,positions, in the front-rear direction, of rear portions of the left andright impact absorption members 16 and 17 and of rear portions of thecrush cans 72 a and 73 a of the upper structure 3 are set to generallythe same positions.

The rear portion of the left impact absorption member 16 is fixed to thefront portion of the left front side frame 11. A direction in which theleft impact absorption member 16 extends is along the longitudinaldirection of the left front side frame 11, and an axis line of theimpact absorption member 16 is positioned on a forward extension line ofthe front side frame 11. Further, the rear portion of the right impactabsorption member 17 is fixed to the front portion of the right frontside frame 12. A direction in which the right impact absorption member17 extends is along the longitudinal direction of the right front sideframe 12, and an axis line of the impact absorption member 17 ispositioned on a forward extension line of the front side frame 12.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 , FIG. 4 and so forth, the front member 18 is amember which is suspended between the left and right impact absorptionmembers 16 and 17. A portion on a left side of a central portion of thefront member 18 in the vehicle width direction is fixed to a frontportion of the left impact absorption member 16, and a portion on aright side of the central portion of the front member 18 in the vehiclewidth direction is fixed to a front portion of the right impactabsorption member 17. Accordingly, the left and right impact absorptionmembers 16 and 17 are coupled together by the front member 18. Asillustrated in FIG. 1 , positions, in the front-rear direction, of thefront member 18 and of a front bumper reinforcement 87 of the upperstructure 3 are set to generally the same positions, and the frontmember 18 is positioned directly below the front bumper reinforcement87.

(Upper Structure)

Next, the upper structure 3 will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the upper structure 3 includes the floor panel 70, a dash panel(partition wall portion) 71, the pair of left and right front mainframes 72 and 73, and the pair of left and right side sills 74 and 75. Areference numeral 72 denotes the left front main frame, and a referencenumeral 73 denotes the right front main frame. A reference numeral 74denotes the left side sill, and a reference numeral 75 denotes the rightside sill.

The floor panel 70 configures a floor surface of the vehicle cabin R1and is formed with a steel plate or the like which extends in thefront-rear direction and extends also in the left-right direction. Aspace above the floor panel 70 serves as the vehicle cabin R1. A roof 80is provided to an upper portion of the vehicle cabin R1. Further, inboth of left and right side portions of the upper structure 3, frontopenings 3 a and rear openings 3 b are formed. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the front opening 3 a and the rear opening 3 b are capable of beingopened and closed by a front door 81 and a rear door 82, respectively.Note that a front door and a rear door are disposed on a right side ofthe upper structure 3 to be capable of being opened and closed.

The left and right side sills 74 and 75 are respectively disposed inboth of left and right end portions of the floor panel 70 to extend inthe front-rear direction. The left end portion of the floor panel 70 isconnected with an intermediate portion of the left side sill 74 in theup-down direction, and the right end portion of the floor panel 70 isconnected with an intermediate portion of the right side sill 75 in theup-down direction. Upper-side portions of the side sills 74 and 75 areprotruded upward from connection portions with the floor panel 70, andlower-side portions of the side sills 74 and 75 are protruded downwardfrom the connection portions with the floor panel 70. Because thebattery casing 10 is arranged below the floor panel 70, the batterycasing 10 is arranged between the left and right side sills 74 and 75,and in a vehicle side view, the lower-side portions of the side sills 74and 75 overlap with the battery casing 10. The battery casing 10 isfixed to the side sills 74 and 75.

The left and right front main frames 72 and 73 are disposed in avehicle-body front portion and are highly strong members which extend inthe front-rear direction. That is, the left and right front main frames72 and 73 are positioned in front of the floor panel 70, are positionedabove the floor panel 70, and are specifically disposed to extendforward from both of left and right sides in a lower portion of the dashpanel 71.

The left and right front main frames 72 and 73 form a left-rightsymmetrical structure and can be configured by joining pluralpress-formed materials or can be configured with the extruded material,for example. A cross section of each of the front main frames 72 and 73in a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction is set larger thana cross section of each of the front side frames 11 and 12 of the lowerstructure 2 in the same direction. Accordingly, the front main frames 72and 73 become thick and highly strong members compared to the front sideframes 11 and 12.

Front end portions of the left and right front main frames 72 and 73respectively have the crush cans 72 a and 73 a which perform compressivedeformation in a front collision and absorb collision energy. The crushcans 72 a and 73 a are tubular members which extend in the front-reardirection. The crush cans 72 a and 73 a perform compressive deformationdue to an impact load from the front in a phase previous to deformationof the front main frames 72 and 73 and thereby absorb the impact load.The front bumper reinforcement 87 extending in the left-right directionis fixed to front end portions of the left and right crush cans 72 a and73 a.

As illustrated in FIG. 6 to FIG. 9 , the dash panel 71 is a member formaking off the vehicle cabin R1 from the power chamber R3, and the dashpanel 71 demarcates the vehicle cabin R1. The dash panel 71 isconfigured with a steel plate or the like, for example, extends in theleft-right direction in the vehicle-body front portion, and extends alsoin the up-down direction. As illustrated in FIG. 9 , a pair of left andright suspension tower portions 90 and 91 are provided on both of leftand right sides of a front portion of the upper structure 3. A referencenumeral 90 denotes the left suspension tower portion, and a referencenumeral 91 denotes the right suspension tower portion.

Each of the left and right suspension tower portions 90 and 91 is formedto bulge inward in the vehicle width direction. That is, the leftsuspension tower portion 90 is formed to bulge rightward from left-sideportions of the power chamber R3 and the vehicle cabin R1 in a rangefrom the power chamber R3 to the vehicle cabin R1, its bulging range isset also in the up-down direction, and the left suspension tower portion90 is capable of housing a part of the left front suspension apparatus20 which will be described later and is provided to the lower structure2. An upper portion (for example, a shock absorber upper portion) of theleft front suspension apparatus 20 is supported by an upper portion ofthe left suspension tower portion 90. Further, the right suspensiontower portion 91 is formed to bulge leftward from right-side portions ofthe power chamber R3 and the vehicle cabin R1 in a range from the powerchamber R3 to the vehicle cabin R1, its bulging range is set also in theup-down direction, and the right suspension tower portion 91 is capableof housing a part of the right front suspension apparatus 20 which willbe described later and is provided to the lower structure 2. An upperportion of the right front suspension apparatus 20 is supported by anupper portion of the right suspension tower portion 91.

As illustrated in FIG. 9 , on both of left and right sides of the frontportion of the upper structure 3, left and right front wheel wells 85and 86 for housing the left and right front wheels FT are formed tobulge inward in the vehicle width direction. A reference numeral 85denotes the left front wheel well, and a reference numeral 86 denotesthe right front wheel well. The left front wheel well 85 is continuouswith a rear side of the left suspension tower portion 90, bulgesrightward from the left-side portion of the vehicle cabin R1, and iscapable of housing the left front wheel FT. Further, the right frontwheel well 86 is continuous with a rear side of the right suspensiontower portion 91, bulges rightward from the right-side portion of thevehicle cabin R1, and is capable of housing the right front wheel FT.

As illustrated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 , a cowl portion 88 is providedabove the dash panel 71. The cowl portion 88 extends in the left-rightdirection from the upper portion of the left suspension tower portion 90to the upper portion of the right suspension tower portion 91. Further,a lower-side portion of the cowl portion 88 extends forward and reachesintermediate portions of the left and right suspension tower portions 90and 91 in the front-rear direction.

The dash panel 71 includes an upper-side panel portion (first partitionwall portion) 71A configuring an upper-side portion of the dash panel 71and a lower-side panel portion (second partition wall portion) 71Bconfiguring a lower-side portion of the dash panel 71. The upper-sidepanel portion 71A and the lower-side panel portion 71B may be configuredrespectively with separate members or may be configured with differentportions of one member. In a case where the upper-side panel portion 71Aand the lower-side panel portion 71B are configured with separatemembers, those may each be shaped into desired shapes and thereafter beintegrated together by joining those, or two members may be joinedtogether and thereafter be shaped into desired shapes.

An upper end portion of the upper-side panel portion 71A is connectedwith the lower-side portion of the cowl portion 88. The upper-side panelportion 71A extends in the left-right direction and also in the up-downdirection and specifically extends from the intermediate portion of theleft suspension tower portion 90 in the front-rear direction to theintermediate portion of the right suspension tower portion 91 in thefront-rear direction.

The upper end portion of the lower-side panel portion 71B is connectedwith a lower end portion of the upper-side panel portion 71A. Thus, theupper end portion of the lower-side panel portion 71B extends in theleft-right direction from the intermediate portion of the leftsuspension tower portion 90 in the front-rear direction to theintermediate portion of the right suspension tower portion 91 in thefront-rear direction. Meanwhile, a lower-side portion which is lowerthan the upper end portion of the lower-side panel portion 71B(hereinafter, referred to as a lower-side portion of the lower-sidepanel portion 71B) is formed to be positioned further to the rear towarda lower position. The lower-side portion of the lower-side panel portion71B may be inclined or may be curved.

A lower end portion (rear end portion) of the lower-side panel portion71B is connected with the front end portion of the floor panel 70. Bothof left and right sides of the lower-side portion of the lower-sidepanel portion 71B are respectively connected with the left and rightfront wheel wells 85 and 86, extend rearward to reach the left and rightside sills 74 and 75, and are respectively connected with the left andright side sills 74 and 75.

As illustrated in FIG. 6 to FIG. 9 , the front-side traveling motor M1is installed below the lower-side portion of the lower-side panelportion 71B. In other words, the lower-side portion of the lower-sidepanel portion 71B is arranged to cover the front-side traveling motor M1from above. As a configuration for making it possible to arrange thefront-side traveling motor M1 below the lower-side portion of thelower-side panel portion 71B, the upper structure 3 includes the motorarrangement portion 71 a. The motor arrangement portion 71 a is aportion, in which at least a part of the front-side traveling motor M1is capable of being arranged, and is a bulging portion, which is formedby causing the lower-side portion of the lower-side panel portion 71B tobulge to the inside of the vehicle cabin R1. FIG. 14 illustrates a statewhere the motor arrangement portion 71 a is seen from below.

Specifically, the front-side traveling motor M1 is arranged to span froma portion between the left and right suspension tower portions 90 and 91to a portion between the left and right left and right front wheel wells85 and 86 and is thus positioned directly below the lower-side portionof the lower-side panel portion 71B. The intermediate portion of thelower-side portion of the lower-side panel portion 71B in the vehiclewidth direction is caused to bulge upward such that at least anupper-side portion and a rear-side portion of the front-side travelingmotor M1 are housed, and this bulging portion configures the motorarrangement portion 71 a. Because a dimension of the motor arrangementportion 71 a in the left-right direction is set shorter than a dimensionbetween the left and right front wheel wells 85 and 86, both of left andright side areas of the motor arrangement portion 71 a are configuredwith inclined surfaces which are inclined downward toward the rear. Inother words, because the motor arrangement portion 71 a is provided andit thereby becomes possible to cause the front-side traveling motor M1,that is, the front-side power train PT1 to be close to the vehicle rearside, a crash stroke in a head-on collision or the like is sufficientlysecured in the front-rear direction.

In the motor arrangement portion 71 a, the speed reducer and thetransmission, which configure the front-side power train PT1, a casingwhich houses those, and so forth may be arranged. Further, in the motorarrangement portion 71 a, a control device which controls the front-sidetraveling motor M1 and a wire harness (neither illustrated) may bearranged. When a surface of the motor arrangement portion 71 a, whichfaces a lower side, is set as an inner surface of the motor arrangementportion 71 a, as illustrated in FIG. 7 , a gap is formed between theinner surface of the motor arrangement portion 71 a and the front-sidetraveling motor M1, and the front-side traveling motor M1 does notcontact with the inner surface of the motor arrangement portion 71 a inusual traveling.

The upper structure 3 includes a front-side cross member 93 which isdisposed in the vehicle cabin R1. The front-side cross member 93 isfixed to an upper surface of the floor panel 70 on a rear side of themotor arrangement portion 71 a and extends in the vehicle widthdirection. The front-side cross member 93 is formed to be open downward,for example, this open portion is closed by joining the front-side crossmember 93 to the upper surface of the floor panel 70, and a closedcross-section is thereby formed. A left end portion of the front-sidecross member 93 is fixed to a right side surface of the left side sill74, and a right end portion of the front-side cross member 93 is fixedto a left side surface of the right side sill 75. As illustrated in FIG.10 , an upper end portion of the front-side cross member 93 is arrangedat an equivalent height to an upper end portion of the side sill 75.

A front portion of the left front seat S1 is mounted on a left side of acentral portion of the front-side cross member 93 in the vehicle widthdirection, and a front portion of the right front seat S1 is mounted ona right side of the central portion of the front-side cross member 93 inthe vehicle width direction. A slide rail or the like is provided to alower portion of each of the front seats S1, and a front portion of theslide rail is fixed to the front-side cross member 93 via a bracket orthe like. Note that a rear portion of the slide rail is fixed to thefloor panel 70 on a rear side of the front-side cross member 93.

The upper structure 3 includes a reinforcement member 94 which couplesthe motor arrangement portion 71 a and the front-side cross member 93together. A rear portion of the reinforcement member 94 abuts, fromfront, a front surface of the front-side cross member 93, and when arearward load is exerted on the reinforcement member 94, the front-sidecross member 93 is capable of certainly receiving the load.

The reinforcement member 94 is a member which is arranged in a centralportion in the vehicle width direction, supports the motor arrangementportion 71 a from the rear, and thereby inhibits rearward deformation ofthe motor arrangement portion 71 a. For example, when the front-sidetraveling motor M1 is caused to retreat due to an impact load from frontand contacts with the motor arrangement portion 71 a, the motorarrangement portion 71 a is apt to deform rearward by receiving theimpact load. In such a case, the reinforcement member 94 inhibitsdeformation of the motor arrangement portion 71 a, and entrance of thefront-side traveling motor M1 into the vehicle cabin R1 side is therebyinhibited. Further, in usual traveling other than a collision, the motorarrangement portion 71 a is coupled with the highly strong front-sidecross member 93, vehicle-body rigidity can thereby be improved, and thereinforcement member 94 contributes to an improvement in operationstability and so forth, for example.

The reinforcement member 94 is provided such that its longitudinaldirection is directed in the front-rear direction. A dimension of thereinforcement member 94 in the front-rear direction is set longer than adimension in the left-right direction. Further, a dimension of thereinforcement member 94 in the up-down direction is set shorter than thedimension in the left-right direction, and the reinforcement member 94as a whole is in a flat shape. In the present embodiment, thereinforcement member 94 is configured with a press-formed component butis not limited to this and may be configured with the extruded material,for example. As illustrated in FIG. 7 and so forth, a rib 94 b extendingin the front-rear direction is formed in the reinforcement member 94.

As illustrated in FIG. 10 , a front portion of the reinforcement member94 is fixed to the upper portion of the motor arrangement portion 71 a.The reinforcement member 94 extends rearward from the upper portion ofthe motor arrangement portion 71 a and is inclined to be positionedlower toward the rear. Thus, a space is formed between the reinforcementmember 94 and the floor panel 70. Note that the reinforcement member 94is fixed to a lower portion of the motor arrangement portion 71 a, andin this case, the reinforcement member 94 can extend rearward along theupper surface of the floor panel 70 and can be fixed to the floor panel70.

The upper structure 3 includes a floor reinforcement 96 which extends inthe front-rear direction below the reinforcement member 94 and along thefloor panel 70. The floor reinforcement 96 is fixed to the upper surfaceof the floor panel 70. A rear portion of the floor reinforcement 96 isconnected with an intermediate portion of the front-side cross member 93in the vehicle width direction.

In the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 11 and FIG. 13 , aconnecting member 95, which couples the front portion of thereinforcement member 94 and a front portion of the floor reinforcement96 together in the up-down direction, is provided in the rear of themotor arrangement portion 71 a. The front portion of the reinforcementmember 94 and the front portion of the floor reinforcement 96 are fixedto the connecting member 95 by fastening members. The connecting member95 is formed by shaping a plate material, for example, and is a memberwhich configures a part of the motor arrangement portion 71 a. In otherwords, the motor arrangement portion 71 a has a main body portion formedwith the bulging portion and the connecting member 95. Note that, notvia the connecting member 95, the front portion of the reinforcementmember 94 may directly be fixed to a rear portion of a main body portionof the motor arrangement portion 71 a.

In the present embodiment, because the connecting member 95 serves as amember which configures a part of the motor arrangement portion 71 a,the front portion of the floor reinforcement 96 is connected with thelower portion of the motor arrangement portion 71 a. Accordingly,because the front portion of the floor reinforcement 96 and the frontportion of the reinforcement member 94 are respectively connected withportions, which are spaced apart in the up-down direction, of the motorarrangement portion 71 a, rigidity of the motor arrangement portion 71 acan be enhanced in a wide range.

Further, the rear portion of the reinforcement member 94 is connectedwith the rear portion of the floor reinforcement 96. Consequently, asillustrated in FIG. 10 , a first closed cross-section is configured withthe motor arrangement portion 71 a, the reinforcement member 94 whichextends rearward from the upper portion of the motor arrangement portion71 a while being inclined downward, and the floor reinforcement 96 whichextends in the front-rear direction. The first closed cross-section isin a triangular shape in a side view, and its dimension in the up-downdirection becomes shorter toward the rear.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 10 , the connecting member 95 is formedto extend rearward from an upper-side rear portion of the main bodyportion of the motor arrangement portion 71 a and to then extenddownward. Furthermore, an upper portion of the connecting member 95 isconnected with the upper-side rear portion of the main body portion ofthe motor arrangement portion 71 a, and a lower portion of theconnecting member 95 is connected with a lower-side rear portion of themain body portion of the motor arrangement portion 71 a. Accordingly, asecond closed cross-section is configured with the connecting member 95and the main body portion of the motor arrangement portion 71 a in aside view. The second closed cross-section is in a shape close to arectangle and is positioned in front of the first closed cross-section.The second closed cross-section is not necessarily required and may beconfigured in accordance with necessity.

Note that in the above embodiment, the connecting member 95 is a memberwhich configures a part of the motor arrangement portion 71 a, but thisis not restrictive, and the motor arrangement portion 71 a can beconfigured only with the bulging portion. In this case, the frontportion of the reinforcement member 94 is directly fixed to a rearportion of the motor arrangement portion 71 a, and the first closedcross-section is configured with the motor arrangement portion 71 a, thereinforcement member 94, and the floor reinforcement 96. Further, theconnecting member 95 is fixed to a rear portion of the bulging portionconfiguring the motor arrangement portion 71 a, and the second closedcross-section is thereby configured with the connecting member 95 andthe motor arrangement portion 71 a.

As illustrated in FIG. 12 , the rear portion of the reinforcement member94 is mounted on the floor panel 70 and the lid body 35 of the batteryunit BY. Specifically, a flange 94 a which extends outward in thevehicle width direction is formed in the rear portion of thereinforcement member 94, and a bolt B1 passes through the flange 94 a.On an upper surface of the flange 94 a, a nut N1 into which the bolt B1is screwed is fixed. The bolt B1 passes through a portion directly belowthe flange 94 a in the lid body 35 and a portion directly below theflange 94 a in the floor panel 70. The bolt B1 is caused to pass throughthe lid body 35, the floor panel 70, and the flange 94 a from a portionbelow the lid body 35 and is screwed into the nut N1, and the rearportion of the reinforcement member 94 can thereby be fixed to the floorpanel 70 and the lid body 35. In such a manner, the rear portion of thereinforcement member 94, the floor panel 70, and the lid body 35 arefastened together by the shared fastening members B1 and N1 and can thusfirmly be integrated together. Note that the bolt B1 may be caused topass through the flange 94 a from above and may thereby be screwed intothe nut N1 fixed to a lower surface of the lid body 35. Instead of thebolt B1, a screw or the like may be used. Further, plural parts of thereinforcement member 94 which are spaced apart in the vehicle widthdirection can also be mounted on the lid body 35 and the floor panel 70.

As illustrated in FIG. 10 , the rear portion of the reinforcement member94 is also mounted on a central portion of the first inside-casingmember 25A in the vehicle width direction. Specifically, a bolt B2passes through a portion of the flange 94 a in the rear portion of thereinforcement member 94, the portion being spaced apart from the flange94 a (illustrated in FIG. 12 ) in the vehicle width direction. Further,the bolt B2 also passes through the floor reinforcement 96, the floorpanel 70, and the lid body 35. To the rear portion of the reinforcementmember 94, a nut N2 is fixed so as to agree with a through portion ofthe bolt B2.

An inserting hole 25 a of the bolt B2 is formed in the firstinside-casing member 25A. The bolt B2 inserted into the inserting hole25 a from below is caused to pass through, in order, an upper wallportion of the first inside-casing member 25A, the lid body 35, thefloor panel 70, the floor reinforcement 96, and the rear portion of thereinforcement member 94 and is then screwed into the nut N2, and therear portion of the reinforcement member 94 can thereby also be fastenedto the first inside-casing member 25A. In such a manner, the rearportion of the reinforcement member 94, the floor reinforcement 96, thefloor panel 70, the lid body 35, and the first inside-casing member 25Aare fastened together by the shared fastening members B2 and N2 and canthus firmly be integrated together. Note that the bolt B2 may be causedto pass through the rear portion of the reinforcement member 94 fromabove and may thereby be screwed into the nut N2 fixed to the firstinside-casing member 25. Instead of the bolt B2, a screw or the like maybe used. Further, plural parts of the reinforcement member 94 which arespaced apart in the vehicle width direction can also be mounted on thefirst inside-casing member 25A.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3 , the central portion in the firstinside-casing member 25A in the vehicle width direction is anintersecting portion with the front central member 26 and is also anintersecting portion with the first rear central member 27. Theintersecting portion with the front central member 26 (or the first rearcentral member 27) in the first inside-casing member 25A is reinforcedby the front central member 26 (or the first rear central member 27) andis a portion with particularly high strength. On this portion with highstrength, the rear portion of the reinforcement member 94 can bemounted.

Further, the rear portion of the reinforcement member 94 may be mountedon the front-side cross member 93. For example, the rear portion of thereinforcement member 94 may be fixed to an upper portion of thefront-side cross member 93 by fastening members, or the rear portion ofthe reinforcement member 94 may be fixed to the front-side cross member93 via a bracket.

Based on FIG. 8 , the positional relationship between the reinforcementmember 94 and the batteries B will be described. When positions of frontportions of the batteries B disposed foremost among plural batteries Bincluded in the battery unit BY are compared to a position of the frontportion of the reinforcement member 94, the batteries B are arrangedsuch that the front portions of the batteries B disposed foremost arepositioned in the rear of the front portion of the reinforcement member94. Accordingly, an impact load from front in a collision is less likelyto be exerted on the batteries B.

Further, at least a part of the front-side traveling motor M1 ispositioned so as to overlap with at least the front portion of thereinforcement member 94 in a front view. For example, as illustrated inFIG. 7 , a position of the front-side traveling motor M1 in the up-downdirection is set generally the same as a position of the front portionof the reinforcement member 94 in the up-down direction. Accordingly,when the front-side traveling motor M1 retreats, its load can certainlybe received by the front portion of the reinforcement member 94.

As illustrated in FIG. 13 , FIG. 15 , and so forth, the upper structure3 includes a partition wall reinforcement member 98. The partition wallreinforcement member 98 is provided in front of the motor arrangementportion 71 a in a surface of the upper-side panel portion 71A on theinside of the vehicle cabin R1 and extends in the vehicle widthdirection. A front portion of the partition wall reinforcement member 98is joined to the lower-side panel portion 71B. A left end portion of thepartition wall reinforcement member 98 is connected with the leftsuspension tower portion 90, and a right end portion of the partitionwall reinforcement member 98 is connected with the right suspensiontower portion 91.

Working Effects of Embodiment

As described above, because the lower-side portion of the dash panel 71is formed to be positioned further to the rear toward a lower positionand the front-side traveling motor M1 is installed below the lower-sideportion of the dash panel 71, it becomes possible to cause thefront-side traveling motor M1 to be close to the vehicle rear side.Accordingly, a crash stroke in a collision is sufficiently secured inthe front-rear direction.

Further, because the intermediate portions, in the front-rear direction,of the left and right suspension tower portions 90 and 91 which bulgeinward in the vehicle width direction are connected with each other bythe upper-side portion of the dash panel 71, a length, in the vehiclewidth direction, of the upper-side portion of the dash panel 71 becomesshort, the upper-side portion of the dash panel 70 thereby becomeslight, and the left and right suspension tower portions 90 and 91 can beconnected together by a short path. Accordingly, rigidity of thevehicle-body front portion is improved.

Further, the left and right front wheel wells 85 and 86 can be formedwhich bulge inward in the vehicle width direction, and the left andright front wheel wells 85 and 86 can be connected with each other bythe lower-side portion of the dash panel 71. Accordingly, a length, inthe vehicle width direction, of the lower-side portion of the dash panel71 becomes short, the lower-side portion of the dash panel 71 therebybecomes light, and the left and right front wheel wells 85 and 86 can beconnected together by a short path. Accordingly, rigidity of thevehicle-body front portion is further improved.

The above-described embodiment is merely an example in all respects andis not to be construed in a limited manner. Furthermore, allmodifications and changes belonging to the equivalent scope of theclaims are included in the scope of the present disclosure.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described in the foregoing, a vehicle-body front structure accordingto the present disclosure can be provided to an electric vehicle, forexample.

1. A vehicle-body front structure for an electric vehicle in which atraveling motor is installed in a vehicle front portion, thevehicle-body front structure comprising: a partition wall portion whichis provided to extend in a vehicle width direction in the vehicle frontportion and demarcates a vehicle cabin inside space; and a pair of leftand right suspension tower portions which are formed to bulge inward inthe vehicle width direction and support upper portions of frontsuspension apparatuses, wherein a lower-side portion of the partitionwall portion is formed to be positioned further to a vehicle rear towarda lower position compared to an upper-side portion of the partition wallportion, the traveling motor is installed below the lower-side portionof the partition wall portion, and the upper-side portion of thepartition wall portion extends from an intermediate portion of the leftsuspension tower portion in a vehicle front-rear direction to anintermediate portion of the right suspension tower portion in thevehicle front-rear direction.
 2. The vehicle-body front structureaccording to claim 1, wherein the partition wall portion includes afirst partition wall portion corresponding to the upper-side portion anda second partition wall portion corresponding to the lower-side portion,and the first partition wall portion extends from an intermediateportion of the left suspension tower portion in the vehicle front-reardirection to an intermediate portion of the right suspension towerportion in the vehicle front-rear direction.
 3. The vehicle-body frontstructure according to claim 2, comprising a motor arrangement portionwhich is formed by causing a part of the second partition wall portionto bulge to an inside of a vehicle cabin and in which at least a part ofthe traveling motor is capable of being arranged.
 4. The vehicle-bodyfront structure according to claim 3, wherein the first partition wallportion is provided with a partition wall reinforcement member whichextends in the vehicle width direction.
 5. The vehicle-body frontstructure according to claim 4, wherein front wheel wells which bulge tovehicle-width-direction inner sides are continuous with vehicle rearsides of the left and right suspension tower portions, and both sides ofthe second partition wall portion in the vehicle width direction areconnected with the left and right front wheel wells.
 6. The rearvehicle-body structure according to claim 5, comprising a pair of leftand right side sills which extend in the vehicle front-rear direction inboth end portions of a floor panel in the vehicle width direction,wherein the second partition wall portion extends to the vehicle rear toreach the left and right side sills and is connected with the left andright side sills.
 7. The vehicle-body front structure according to claim2, wherein front wheel wells which bulge to vehicle-width-directioninner sides are continuous with vehicle rear sides of the left and rightsuspension tower portions, and both sides of the second partition wallportion in the vehicle width direction are connected with the left andright front wheel wells.
 8. The rear vehicle-body structure according toclaim 2, comprising a pair of left and right side sills which extend inthe vehicle front-rear direction in both end portions of a floor panelin the vehicle width direction, wherein the second partition wallportion extends to the vehicle rear to reach the left and right sidesills and is connected with the left and right side sills.
 9. Thevehicle-body front structure according to claim 3, wherein front wheelwells which bulge to vehicle-width-direction inner sides are continuouswith vehicle rear sides of the left and right suspension tower portions,and both sides of the second partition wall portion in the vehicle widthdirection are connected with the left and right front wheel wells. 10.The rear vehicle-body structure according to claim 3, comprising a pairof left and right side sills which extend in the vehicle front-reardirection in both end portions of a floor panel in the vehicle widthdirection, wherein the second partition wall portion extends to thevehicle rear to reach the left and right side sills and is connectedwith the left and right side sills.
 11. The rear vehicle-body structureaccording to claim 4, comprising a pair of left and right side sillswhich extend in the vehicle front-rear direction in both end portions ofa floor panel in the vehicle width direction, wherein the secondpartition wall portion extends to the vehicle rear to reach the left andright side sills and is connected with the left and right side sills.